Submitted by Bridget Galbreath on
The holidays are just around the corner. What better way to get your kids into the spirit of the season than by bringing them to enjoy some fun-filled and activities? The town of Brookhaven will host several family-friendly holiday-themed activities for you to enjoy! From tree lightings to parades, these holiday activities are guaranteed to spread holiday cheer.
Submitted by Raven Snook on
Already feeling some seasonal stress? We hear you. I had a panic attack the other day when I saw that El Museo del Barrio already put its three kings out when Three Kinds Day is in January! While we can't do your holiday shopping for you we can tell you about the best ways to celebrate Thanksgiving, Hanukkah (which overlap next week) and Christmas with kids in NYC, New Jersey, Westchester, Long Island, Connecticut and beyond.
A big thank you to all of our readers who attended our Holiday Photo Event last weekend. (That's my daughter looking deceptively innocent in the Santa pic by Big Apple Portraits above.) If you didn't make it, that's okay since St. Nick is flying into town in just a week on the tail end of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Speaking of the parade, you can get a fantastic sneak peek at the brand-new floats debuting this year on our Facebook page. We've got great pics of Bloomingdale's recently unveiled holiday windows, too.
Outside of NYC, our Boston site posted a wonderful list of picture books about Boston inspired by the one we did a while back about our favorite NYC children's books. The site also has an excellent primer on how to start a babysitting co-op in your community. Closer to home, our Westchester site rounded up the top 25 things to do with kids in Scarsdale and our New Jersey site continued its series on Great Small Towns with a profile of Clifton, NJ. Both destinations make great day trips for NYC families.
Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week:
Submitted by Shari Simpson on
It's that time again, New Jersey! Although it seems like Halloween was five minutes ago, we are knee-deep in turkeys, Christmas trees, menorahs, Nutcracker-ing and all the other fun (and hopefully only mildly stressful) things that say "holidays in NJ". Take a peek at our Holiday Guide and find out everything that our state has to offer to max out your holiday spirit. And Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, NJ!
Submitted by Jill Wolfson on
This weekend, celebrate the Long Island Children's Museum's 20th Birthday. Festivities include a birthday party, complete with dance performances, along with a puppet show featuring King Midas. In the mood for some pre-Thanksgiving activities? There's a Turkey Trot in Massapequa, a Native American Feast in Glen Cove, and fun on the farm in Yaphank. Hanukkah is also just around the corner. Check out Thanksgivukkah at the Bernice Jacobson Day School and Camp, along with the Hanukkah Family Day at the Suffolk Y Jewish Community Center. As always, check our events calendar every day for fun activities for the family.
Submitted by Toby B on
Okay, you've got like maybe a five minute breather before all holidays break loose. You know what I'm talking about. The Thanksgivikkah convergence, in which you must ask your child to channel sublime gratitude while opening the floodgates to eight crazy nights of "me want." I'm talking about the late-on-the-scene Turkey Day resulting in a shorter than usual shopping season, (though someone might want to tell that to the elves already decorating our local malls). I'm talking about non-stop jingling bells, twinkling lights, and shaking jelly-bowl bellies from now until the new year.
But this weekend, and probably this weekend alone, does not HAVE to be about the holidays. You can celebrate fandom and circus life, toast the Autry on its anniversary, or call me Ishmael with all the other whale-heads reading Moby Dick on the beach. You can see Disney's Frozen a full five days before the rest of the country. You can dance in your pj's, bust some myths or bust some moves with female mariachis. You can give thanks, not in a turkeys and pilgrims way, but in a grateful for good health way.
Or you can dive in with both feet and make this weekend an all Hanukkah, getting ready for Christmas, holiday superfun time for the ages. We've got your back either way.
To get you started, here are our favorite picks for the weekend:
Submitted by Audrey Trieschman on
Our roundup of events begins tonight, with Brookline’s First Light Festival, one of the holiday season’s kickoff events. Other weekend events include Boston Blink! opening celebration at Faneuil Hall, the Belmont World Film’s Family Festival, a performance of A Little Princess, and the opening of the Boston Frog Ice Skating. Read on for details, and remember that our Events Calendar is filled with many more activities.
Also this week on Mommy Poppins Boston:
Submitted by Jill Muller on
The holiday celebrations are here and there is plenty to do this weekend in Westchester with the kids. Enjoy a holiday tree lighting at Cross County Shopping Center, turkey fun at Westmoreland Sanctuary and Teatown Lake Reservation or Hershel and the Hannukah Goblins at Rosenthal JCC.
Two great theater performances can be seen this weekend. Exit Stage Left at the Emelin Theatre in Mamaroneck blends tap dance, live music, and slapstick comedy and offers an energetic show for younger audiences. Shrek the Musical will be performed all weekend long at the Yorktown Stage.The UBS Parade Spectacular on Sunday brings with it giant helium balloons floating through Stamford’s downtown. Foofa & Plex from Yo Gabba Gabba, Barbar & Badou and a Smurf will all make their debut this year. There is a balloon inflation party on Saturday as well where you can get a backstage look at the balloons as they come to life.
Read on for our top weekend picks. If you see something that piques your interest, click through to the event listing to view full details. Looking for more options? Be sure to check our Event Calendar for more fun happening this weekend and beyond.
Submitted by Stephanie Ogozalek on
Although Hanukkah and Thanksgiving don't officially arrive until next week, lots of seasonal celebrations take place this weekend. The Museum of Jewish Heritage, the 92nd Street Y and the Jewish Museum are all hosting Hanukkah parties, there's a Thanksgiving crafts workshop at the Cathedral St. John the Divine and you can mark both holidays at the Museum at Eldridge Street's merry mash-up Thanksgivukkah Extravaganzikah.
There's lots of awesome non-holiday fun, too, including two of our top event picks for November: the Brooklyn Museum's FREE Children's Book Fair and the Little Orchestra Society's lavish Firebird concert. Plus no-cost ballet workshops at the Children's Museum of the Arts.
These are just a few of the great things going on this weekend. All of our best bets are below. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Holiday Fun Guide. Before heading out on your adventures, be sure to download our FREE Mommy Poppins Kids on the Go app so you can find the best family destinations wherever you happen to be in NYC.
